Review of the Hollywood Pitch Festival

Hello fellow filmmakers and writers!

Here is my review of the Hollywood Pitch Festival put on by FADE IN MAGAZINE.

I attended this pitch fest in 2016. I won't go into the details of what the pitch fest is, because I assume you're reading this because you've already looked into it. Here's just my honest personal experience and you can take away whatever you think applies to you.

Overall, it was a good experience to attend. It's a legitimate event, with many big name industry companies. I was able to pitch almost 20 companies, and I felt I got what was promised--an opportunity to pitch to legit gatekeepers. Although, yes they are all mostly low level assistants, but I did meet two who were actually a higher level junior executive type. Out of the 20 or so pitches, I had about 9 requests for my scripts. Some gave me their email and said send it. Others took down my email and said they would contact me (which they never did). Half of those were big name management companies or prod companies like Scott Rudin Productions. I had a great time at the event, met many other writers who were great to talk to and just be around so many others like yourself. I definitely got a feel for the pitch by the end of the event. Just for this alone, it's worth going at least once. I also ran into the woman who was the owner of this event. She seemed to be genuine and was running around making sure everything was going smoothly. She seemed to really care about the writers and how things were going for everyone.

However, the end result of the pitch fest is this. Nothing came to fruition. All the requests amounted to no responses after I sent my script out to respective emails. In cases where the assistants took down my email, and said they would email me to ask for me to send the script. Guess what? Never got an email. Only two came back and had some sort of response. Scott Rudin's company came back the next week with a "pass". Another company with a deal at Universal came back and asked for a release sheet to be signed before sending the script. Then no more communication after than. The typical hollywood ignore. This simply made me realize that my scripts were not there yet. They just weren't good enough. I don't regret going to this event, because it let me know that I need to work on my writing. And the experience itself was rewarding.

The major problem I see is that almost all the writers, including myself who attended this event were not quite ready with their material. I mean, I met one guy who didn't even have scripts written, he was just trying to pitch ideas he had. When I asked him what he's going to do when they ask for the script, he said he didn't know. He said he would just try to write it in 2-3weeks. Are you serious?! This guy was living on a pipe dream. But what a fool, sorry to say.

My advice to anyone who's interested in going, if five hundred bucks is nothing to you, then go ahead and do it for the experience. But most likely, you're writing is not at that level yet. I would invest that money instead in a script consultant, a good one, to consult your script and give you feedback. This is invaluable. Many writers, myself included, just think that their shit don't stink. We all think our ideas and scripts are so great, but in reality, your script really has to be a home run to hit at this pitch fest. But even with that, I don't think it's a good strategy. Here's why:

Each of the producers, or assistants who request scripts, they will be flooded in the coming weeks after the fest with scripts. Your script could get lost in the flood. It might not even get read. Better to enter contests, or maybe even one of these Stage32 online pitches. (I'll write a review for that soon)

To sum things up-- the pitch fest is a legit event with big name companies and agencies. The event is fun, and gives you experience at pitching. It does give you a chance to get your script to the right people, but most often than not, your script is not ready, and therefore, you waste this opportunity. Are there successes? Sure, I've heard the stories, but these are very very very rare, and I cannot verify what I heard really happened or not. But of course the chance is there. Just like the chance of you winning the lottery.

I've done it once, and it was great. But I don't think I'll be attending anymore pitch fests in the future. I'm going to work on my craft, pay for consultants, which from my experience has been amazing and really helped push my writing to the next level, and submit to the top screenwriting contests. Good luck to you all, and happy writing!

PS You can now watch my latest feature LAS VEGAS STORY on Amazon Prime!

-Byron

How to self distribute an indie film

Hello,

Self distributing in indie film is an extremely difficult task. I've had the pleasure of doing it twice already. My 1st film Bang Bang was completely self distributed and to a certain extent it was successful. Meaning, I made back the initial investment. The YouTube trailer has 260,000 views. We had sold-out screenings in 3 different cities, and even till today almost 4 years after the release of the film, I still make sales and have people e-mailing me asking for the DVD of the film which we have already sold out of.

Using my knowledge and experience from my 1st film, I will now try a slightly different strategy for my new film Las Vegas story. My honest outlook for this film is that it will be much more difficult than my 1st. The reason for this is that the film lacks star power, despite having Oscar-nominated Eric Roberts in the film. The challenge is to create a buzz about the film and to gain a following of true supporters and fans. With my 1st film it was easier because the lead actor was a rap artist who had a considerable amount of fans already which I tapped into.

My strategy for Las Vegas story is to premiere the film and at the same time do digital online premieres in conjunction with the Festival premieres. This is a new strategy that has yet to prove itself. The idea is that we are able to turn the buzz from film festivals into direct sales, and not lose momentum going forward as we wait for each festival premiere. I will also do my own screenings to keep the momentum going and to hit cities where film festivals have not accepted my film. I would recommend not to get too attached to your festival screenings, because as you wait for each screening your film is slowly losing power. It's extremely important to know who your real audience is, and actively go out and find them and try to market directly to them. This can be done through Facebook ad campaigns, outreach to organizations to form partnerships, specific niche film festivals, social media, and through the word-of-mouth marketing of each supporter that you recruit.(if you would like consultation feel free to contact me directly at beyondcinema@gmail.com)

My film will be premiering at this year's Chelsea Film Festival in NYC on Saturday Oct.18th, 2014 6:30pm at the SVA Theater in Chelsea. Event details.
If you would like to catch the online premiere which will happen at the same time as the festival premiere, just go to this link. The film will only be available to stream for 48hours starting from the time of the premiere! http://www.reelhouse.org/beyondcinema/las-vegas-story

Self distributing an indie film has many stages, and can be a mix of direct sales through DVDs and digital sales, and through partnerships with digital aggregators. It can also mean a hybrid distribution model. I am also actively searching for an international distributor, and not completely foregoing any offers that may come through. It's important to have a sales agent go to the film markets to shop your film. what I mean by this is that you should still look for other options, even as you are doing self distribution. Any deal you make you should be careful and negotiate to still be able to make sales through your direct site even if a distributor buys your film. These things are always negotiable.

Keep your options open, because self distributing takes a lot of work and time. You will need to become a PR director, marketing director, and even learn to book theaters and event management. It's very rewarding, but not in a monetary way. You can follow my journey to self distribute my next film and see how it goes. I truly hope this is the last film I ever self-distribute.

Follow me on Twitter! @byronbcp

Instagram @byronbcp

Facebook Beyond Cinema Productions

Looking for a movie distributor

Here's a good article with some advice about signing deals with aggregators, sales agents, or distributors.

What I wish I knew about distribution before self distributing I am not a hipster

Although their film went to Sundance, their route was supported by many different people and the sundance institute itself, so you see how tough it is even for a film that has Sundance's support. What about the smaller films like ones that don't go to Sundance?

Making a Good movie trailer or teaser

It is crucial to make a very good Trailer for your movie. Many filmmakers spend so much effort and time on making their film, that when it comes time to promote and market the movie, they run out of juice. Don't stop here, you need to cut together a really compelling Teaser, then a Trailer. These will sell your film. I've been told by a Sales Agent that sometimes many of these buyers don't even bother to watch the movies, they will base their purchases on the Trailers, and then maybe scrub through the movie or watch it in parts. This is because they have hundreds of films to look through, and they're just a bunch of lazy shmucks.

Here's my Teaser Trailer I made for my new movie LAS VEGAS STORY.

So, make a 30second Teaser. Then make a 90sec Trailer. And if you want to go further, make a 2nd trailer that markets the film in a different angle.

In order to make a good Trailer, you need to first get the full movie completed and get the Stem files of the audio tracks from your sound designer. This means the dialogue, music, fx, are all on separate tracks. This is so that you can edit a scene into the trailer without the background music. The trailer music is separate and you should have your composer make the music specifically tailored for the trailer.

Trailers need cool trailer sound effects. You can go to pond5.com or similiar sites and get some good effects. Make sure you're good at editing, if not, get a real Trailer editor to do the job. Someone who has edited trailers before and that are actually good.

Make sure you include good visuals. Good sound bites. But make sure you're not retelling the entire movie for us beat by beat. It's better to leave the viewer wanting more, or not fully understanding everything that's going on is better than giving us a 90sec version of your movie. No one wants that!!

Good luck!

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How to deal with movie piracy and bootlegging - I caught my bootlegger

Hey guys,

Recently I found out my documentary film RASKAL LOVE was bootlegged. Someone uploaded my entire movie onto youtube in 4 parts. What's worse is that they made a channel with MY NAME! The guy was trying to pretend that they were me. I found this extremely disturbing.



However, I took some time to asses the situation. In this day and age, the internet is a life-line to the filmmaker. I had been researching internet marketing strategies and I realized that I could use this incident to my advantage and see it as a marketing opportunity.

One advice I can't stress enough is that indie filmmakers need to take the time to learn internet marketing and on a serious level. For me, I connected with a friend who is an internet marketing specialist. He knows how to target your audience through the use of facebook ad campaigns, how to create an opt-in email list of dedicated fans, and how to give VALUE to your audience before you try to sell them your movie. These are all very important things to understand if you want to make any progress in the future of indie filmmaking. (I offer consultation to filmmakers!)

So the way that my story ends, is that I actually found out who the bootlegger was. I looked up his email(which was found on his youtube channel) and I found out that it matched with someone who had bought my DVD. Now I got the guys name, address, and even found his picture on facebook. I emailed him to let him know that I know all his information, along with a cease and desist letter. I also contacted Youtube to have the videos removed and it was done so within a couple days.

If anyone has had a similar experience of piracy or bootlegging of their movie, please share it! Hope you guys get a kick out of my story.

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Using digital distribution platform Reelhouse.org for my new documentary

Check out my new documentary film RASKAL LOVE which I've released for Streaming/download on the new distribution platform Reelhouse.org

So far I really like the platform(I released my first film BANG BANG with them as well). Take a look at the way their layout works, and watch my film!

Breaking into the Mainstream Film Industry

As I sit here writing this blog post on New Years Eve, I'm thinking what 2014 will hold for a struggling independent filmmaker like me? The industry has been changing, yet somehow did not form in the way a lot of indie filmmakers, myself especially, had envisioned. With the failure of companies like Dynamo Player and Chill, signs that hinted that the "break" from traditional distributors and the hollywood system is going to be harder, and take longer, or perhaps not come at all.

Looking back on the last 3 years after the release of my first independent feature film "Bang Bang", I can say it has been a very tough struggle and definitely more difficult than I could have ever imagined in my youthful naive.

You know when you're young you have all this energy and this I don't give a fuck I'll take over the world attitude. And as you get older and wiser, you see the immature thinking that you had as a youth. Although that hunger and drive is admirable, it needs to be directed by wisdom and knowledge.

I've come to realize that the independent film industry is struggling more than ever before.(read this Int. with John Sayles) Even with all the new technology, and excitement of youtube, hulu, netflix, it's not looking good for us. Because these platforms are all trying to become mainstream. Just look at the direction each one has taken with their content.

I will be pursuing a traditional distributor for my next film LAS VEGAS STORY. I plan to write scripts that can be picked up by other producers and funded through traditional ways rather than the whole Crowdfunding/private equity/self financed direction I've been taking. Its just too hard and not a good idea when you're struggling to pay rent. I recently watched an interview with Francis Ford Coppola from 1997 in which he talks about how he went into the wine business to give himself financial stability. This is after he made all those big hits like Apocalypse Now, & The Godfather.

Filmmaking is a gamble. The biggest gamble anyone can make. Every time you make a film, you put your life on the line. After awhile, you kinda get burnt out from playing Russian Roulette.


I've also come to realize theres more to life than just making films. Part of becoming a good director is to enjoy life and experience life outside of making movies. So for next year, 2014, I hope to focus more on my spiritual growth, and in turn it will bring me to a higher place than I can ever imagine in all aspects of life, including my career.

I plan to spend time writing seriously, and also networking with Producers by attending film festivals and film markets. I will focus on getting financial stability, health, and reconnecting with family. Sometimes we get lost in our passion for our dreams, that we forget to smell the flowers. 2014 here I come! Happy New Year Everyone!

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